Prince Andrew's 'stickler for protocol' mentality clear in Royal Lodge rift

The narrative about Prince Andrew's Royal Lodge "power struggle" serves no benefit to his family - and shows the Duke's "sense of entitlement," a royal author has claimed.

The Duke of York has lived at Royal Lodge for 20 years but recent headlines have suggested tension between him and older brother King Charles about the terms of his stay.

Historian and biographer Andrew Lownie tells Daily Express "those battles" were resolved last year.

He said: “There is a power struggle clearly going on — and it’s being played out in public."

The acclaimed author believes the King has come to terms with Andrew taking up residence at Royal Lodge and is accepting of it.

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He explains: “Andrew is very aware of his status, he was once second in line to the throne, he’s clearly been pushed down the line since then, which was inevitable, but he doesn’t like it.

“He is a stickler for protocol, doing things as they have always been done, he has a very strong sense of entitlement.”

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Disgraced Andrew - who no longer serves in a public-facing role after his disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview - is being asked to downgrade and move to Frogmore Cottage, according to reports.

This is so Prince William, Princess Kate and their three children can move into the Royal Lodge.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lived at Frogmore Cottage before relocating to the US, but were asked to vacate the property as part of their exit plan. While it was good enough for the Sussexes, apparently it isn’t good enough for Andrew, suggests the royal biographer.

He says: “He feels that someone as a senior royal he is entitled to this sort of prestige of a house like Royal Lodge.

“He wants deference, not just for him, but his ex-wife, who is no longer Her Royal Highness, and his daughters, who he describes as Princesses of the Blood.”

Andrew and Sarah Ferguson live in Royal Lodge together with Mr Lownie referring to them as “the happiest divorced couple in the world.”

Lownie is working on the third book in his trilogy of royal marriages biographies, with Andrew and Sarah’s courtship up next. The joint biography is scheduled to come out next year.